Bromance of the Century
by Amethyst Beloved
Summary: The ultimate missing moment of Miles and Zig's rambunctious boys night out that they would all too soon forget based on the Champagne Supernova minis. Zoemund, Triles, Matlingsworth and Zaya.
1. Chapter 1

The festivities at the country club were in full swing. Everyone wanted a turn to shake hands with the new mayor. No one took notice of his eldest son seething darkly in the corner, snatching a glass of champagne from a passing tray and downing it in one gulp. It hardly had any effect. His siblings may innocently believe that Daddy Dearest was going to hold up to his promise of attending anger management sessions, but Miles could almost see his father's head swell with power with every passing minute. There was no way he would risk visiting any therapist now that his mayoral duties awaited him. If Miles was going to numb the pain, he would need something stronger. After staying long enough to meet a sufficient quota of family pictures for the paper, he slipped into his convertible and made a beeline towards home. There was a bottle of Scotch with his name on it.

Back at the mansion, Miles lost count of the number of shots he choked down. He was pleasantly buzzed, but it wasn't enough. He decided that he needed someone warm to engage in a mindless make out session with, and dug his phone out of his pocket. Scrolling to the "M" section with only one swipe, his thumb hovered over Tristan's name by reflex. What Miles really wanted was to be nestled in his protective arms, because that's where he always felt so happy and safe. But he managed to stop himself from making that decision. No, as much as he craved for his ex-boyfriend, he couldn't drag him down and reveal all of the ugly Hollingsworth family secrets. Wasn't that the reason why he let him go in the first place? Miles was trying to remember why was so dead set on punishing himself that way when he eyed the name just above.

Matlin. Maya Matlin. She knew his weaknesses. He didn't even have to feel that he needed to live up to a God among men status with her. For once the walls were crumbling down and now he was more vulnerable than ever before. What was there to be scared of now? Would this be enough for her to come back to him? She didn't seem to be opposed to his comment about how he wouldn't mind if she checked in on him. Only one way to find out.

/-/-/-/-/

Kanye was pumping in the background while Zig was fussing about with his hair, making sure that every strand was perfectly set in place. He bopped on over to the closet and selected the sleek black button-up that he wore to the Wild West dance, figuring that it would do the job to impress his hot date for tonight once he unpinned the white frill that was added by Imogen for the event. Tonight was important. It took some time but he finally managed to wear Zoë down over the phone with his entire arsenal of sweet nothings, and persuaded her to sneak out despite her being under house arrest to meet him for a night out in town.

Just as he grabbed the remote of his stereo to start lip syncing to a particularly complex verse, he spun around and found Maya standing in his doorway. She was clutching her phone in one hand and was biting her nails of the other. Never taking his eyes off of her, in one swift movement Zig muted the music, and focused his attention on the girl.

"You're all dressed up," she commented slowly.

"Yeah, I finally managed to wrangle a date with Zoë."

Maya hoped that Zig didn't notice the way she slightly flinched. But even if he did, she knew he wouldn't call her out on it.

"Before you meet her... could you do my a favour?"

"Anything."

"Check up on Miles for me at his place?"

"What?"

"He just called me and he sounds like he had too much to drink. H-he wants me to come over, but if I go, I know I'll just be leading him on."

Maya remembered very well the last time she witnessed Miles while he was under the influence of too much alcohol. It turned out that he was a needy drunk, and was quick to latch on the first warm body that he could get his hands on. She didn't even want to think about how far he and Zoë could have gone that night when they were both intoxicated, and she had absolutely no interest in taking a stroll down that path herself anytime soon. But deep down, she still cared for the boy. Thanks to therapy, her immediate instinct of acting now and thinking later when helping people had subsided. So she would not go. Yet, that didn't mean she would completely abandon Miles.

Zig heaved a heavy sigh. What was it with this girl? Though he admitted that he was doing a good enough job of moving on, he had to accept the fact that a part of him would always be under her spell.

"Sure, anything for a friend," he answered with a tap on her nose, causing her to break into a smile.

"Thanks Zig!" Maya cried out as she leaped into his arms and gave him a tight hug that he was quick to return while unconsciously breathing in the scent of her hair.

/-/-/-/-/

"Okay, let's get this over with," Zig mumbled to himself once he arrived at the Hollingsworth manor and rang the doorbell.

The door opened and a tipsy Miles who was swaying back and forth and completely ignored him in search of a blonde head of hair.

"Maya? Where are you? I-I need you, Maya! Maya?"

Zig grabbed the boy by his shoulders and looked him square in his glazed eyes.

"Listen, Young Money. Maya ain't here. But her orders were for you to quit with the drinking and go to bed. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a very pretty cheerleader waiting for me."

"Ya know what they're saying 'bout those cheerleaders," Miles drawled.

The hairs on the back of Zig's neck began to rise and his skin started to crawl as he narrowed his eyes at Miles.

"Those were just allegations. There's no proof that it was them."

"Sorry to break it to you, but my sister not only confirmed that it was the Power Cheer Squad, but also that your precious little Zoë was the maniacal mastermind behind the whole plan."

Zig's head was spinning. This didn't make any sense. He was sure that Zoë was a good person who wouldn't resort to such ugliness. There had to be a logical reason for this. Nothing was adding up.

"I think...I need a drink..." he said in a daze.

"Right this way, good sir!" Miles exclaimed, delighted to find himself in the company of a drinking partner.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Winston received Frankie's frantic text about Miles leaving smack in the middle of her father's celebration, he knew right away that it could only mean trouble. He rapidly made his way to the Hollingsworth mansion and was surprised to see that the front door was slightly ajar. He slipped in and on instinct he made his way towards the living room where Mr. H kept the alcohol. He wasn't surprised to see a tipsy Miles with a drink in his hand. What bowled him over was that he was the fact that he was in the company of his arch nemesis, Zig Novac.

"So Zoë is behind Degrassi nudes," said Zig in a trance while gulping down another shot.

"Say it as many times as you want. Still gonna be true. Ya see, _I_ know how to pick the good ones. That's why I'm gonna get Maya back."

"Hey! You can't have her!"

"What are you, her keeper?"

"No, but I know her well enough to know that she'll never date you again."

Winston had been best friends with Miles long enough to know that this was going to get ugly. Miles was never one to back down from a challenge. Turning away before either boy noticed he was there, he scurried off to Miles' room for something that could inspire him to solve this never-ending problem for once and for all.

/-/-/-/-/

"If you think Maya wants to be with a meat head chasing a basketball that she already dumped three times, you're wrong!"

"At least it's better than being a permanent fixture in the Rubber Room with a dead end future."

"You think you're better than me, Rich Boy?"

"No, I just know."

"That's does it! You wanna go?"

With that Miles watched Zig as he quickly popped the buttons at his wrists and effortlessly ripped open his shirt to let the material ripple down his arms as if it was silk. He pulled off his wife-beater, crumpled it up and threw it at his feet. Bare chested, he lifted up his arms and balled his hands into fists. He crouched down a bit lower and jerked his chin towards Miles, daring him to fight back.

Not to be outdone, Miles too tried to get rid of his shirt in a similar fashion, only to get stuck halfway. But he couldn't worry about now as Zig was inching closer. Just as Miles was going to throw his first punch, a new hand latched on to his arm and something cold and metallic clasped around his wrist. One second later he watched the same thing happen to his foe. Quickly jerking his head to see who would be devious enough to do such a thing, his jaw dropped when he saw Winston.

"What the hell, Chewy?" roared Miles, waving his fist and taking Zig's arm along for the ride. "Unlock these cuffs. Now."

"Nuh-uh," replied Winston, jumping back when Miles tried to grab him. "This stupid Maya feud has gone on for long enough. You guys have got to bury the hatchet."

"Who are you?" asked a puzzled Zig.

"Dude, we were in French class together last year. Remember my killer oral presentation? If I had to go back in time it would be when comics were dirt cheap so my first edition of Howling Hawk that I paid $300 for wouldn't be the only investment for my college fund?"

"Looks like none of the guys even know you either," snorted Miles. "Now give us the key."

"No! I've seen my aunt do this with my cousins tons of time," Winston insisted as he grabbed the first bottle of alcohol in his reach and began to prepare three shots.

"What, handcuff them and get them drunk?"

"No Miles, I'm just adapting to the environment."

"Are you sure you know what you're-"

"Can it! Spend enough time together and you guys will be hugging it out in no time," he insisted, passing around the drinks. "To friendship!"

They all exchanged looks before each boy downed their shot. While Miles and Zig only winced while the alcohol burned its way down their throats, Winston immediately passed out and collapsed behind the couch.

"Is he gonna be okay?" asked Zig slowly with wide eyes.

"Meet Winston Chu, lightweight," smirked Miles. "He's fine with beer, but he always forgets that hard liquor knocks him out. He'll probably be fine by tomorrow afternoon."

Miles figured that he might as well hunt for the key. But against his will, he found himself being dragged in the opposite direction.

"Hey, what gives?" he asked, scrambling to coordinate himself to not trip over his feet. "Where we goin'?"

"I had no idea that it was this late. Zoë's gonna pound me!"

"Wait, what, Zoë? I don't wanna see her!"

"Well I do and I will, even if that means dragging you along."

Miles figured that this was a fight that he was not going to win and decided he didn't have much a choice in the matter as they made their way out, but not before snatching the half-full bottle of Scotch.


	3. Chapter 3

At a small table outside the Dot sat a pretty brunette sipping her half-sweet, fat-free mocha frappuccino with a smile playing on her lips. Zoë knew very well that she wasn't supposed to be out and about, but some people were worth the risk. Case in point, Zig Novac. She couldn't lie. He fascinated her. Rough and tough on the exterior but with an unwavering heart of gold. It had taken her much longer than it should have to realize that he was indeed always this nice, which is why she was ready to take a leap of faith and trust him. She closed off her heart for far too long, and even tried to convince Zig that he was better off without and her. Still, his persistence over the phone that night did pay off, and after being robbed of her supposed good luck smooch, she was more than ready to collect what she had hoped to receive on the day of the cheerleading competition.

She could still vividly remember the way the calloused pads of his thumbs and palms rested delicately on her cheeks and how his wide hands firmly and protectively cupped both sides of her face and neck as if she was going to break after she had emerged from the smoky school. Even after months of proving that she was not a fragile porcelain doll who needed attention from boys, it felt good to be cared for and worried over even if she only allowed it to last for a split second. But tonight all that was going to change. Zoë pictured Zig pulling her in his strong arms, tipping her chin upwards with a curved finger and leaning down to give her a thorough yet gentle kiss that would melt all of her Oomfchat repercussions away, even if it was going to just be for one night. Trusting that he was going to stand by her after explaining the story from her side gave her courage like never before.

She looked at her watch and her eyes widened when she saw the time. Zig was actually forty-five minutes late. Was this a prank? Did he think that he could get away with standing her up?

What sounded like drunken bickering between two guys ripped through her thoughts. Turning her head to shoot them a glare, her jaw dropped after witnessing a shirtless Zig dragging a drunk Miles who was in the middle of taking a swig at a bottle he was clutching in his hand. It looked like Miles didn't have any free will in the matter because they were suspiciously connected with a pair of handcuffs.

"What's going on?" demanded Zoë, rising from her chair. "Why is this jerk attached to you? And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"Zoë, so glad you're here," slurred Zig with glazed eyes. "I thought you were g-gonna leave!"

"I was leaving. And it doesn't look like you're giving me a good reason to stay."

"Wait! I still wanna go out with you, even if you are behind Degrassi Nudes."

"You… do?"

"Yeah! Even if selling boob shots was stupidest idea ever 'cause you're basically running a child pornography ring."

"What did you just say?"

"And even though you treated us guys like idiots for using our raging hormones to finance your fundraiser, I guess I can still date you."

Zig was babbling and Zoë was fuming. She wasn't going to be anyone's charity case. While he was only making things worse by digging himself deeper in a hole, he completely missed the rage clouding Zoë's eyes, the way she gritted her teeth, and how her hands were balled up tight. But Miles noticed. He'd seen the same look in her eyes on the first day of school after she dumped her drink all over Perino. He'd also seen the same look in his father's eyes right before his fists began to fly. Not having enough time to cry out a warning, he pushed the other boy's shoulders down only to be on the receiving end off the punch that was not even meant for him.

Miles was out cold and Zig was flabbergasted that his worst enemy saved him from a black eye. He was so stunned that he hardly registered Zoë yelling his ear off and telling him not to call her ever again before storming off.

"Ugh, well that felt great," moaned Miles sarcastically shortly after he came to. "This is gonna leave a mark."

"Dude. You are totally awesome!" Zig cried out in pure admiration, and helped him up. "I can't believe that I thought you were a tool. That took balls, yo!"

"Chicks, man. They're unpredictable."

"Tell me about it. I don't blame you for switching to dudes. Hey, speak of the devil himself."

Miles turned his head to look and was mesmerized with the vision before him. Quickly following their breakup he was aware that Zoë took Tristan under her wing and convinced him that a makeover was a sure fire way to start fresh. Unfortunately for Miles it was like falling for him all over again. Gone was the blond that was so familiar to him since the day they met, only to be replaced with a light brown hair that Miles desperately wanted to run his fingers through because it looked even softer than ever before. Trailing his eyes lower down, he zoned in on Tristan's sexy, tattered vest that he must have left opened for the sole purpose of teasing the fact that it could easily be pushed off during a heated moment, something so intimate that Miles no longer had the right to do.

Now there he was, just across the street.

"He looks good."

Zig let out a howl of laughter.

"Bro, you _want_ him!"

"No, I like Maya, remember?"

"Please. Everyone knows the whole 'you look good' line basically means that you want to jump their bones."

"I-It does?"

"Yeah man, it's written all over your face. Who knows? Maybe he'll take you back!"

Much too drunk with alcohol to come up with a reason why he shouldn't and encouraged by Zig's pep talk, they marched up to Tristan who was currently focused on texting to notice anything in his peripheral vision. Without thinking, Miles grabbed the lapels of the vest and yanked him in a deep kiss.

When Tristan was found himself in the sudden embrace his eyes immediately fell shut and he didn't even have to question the identity of this kissing bandit. His right arm snaked instinctively around Miles' waist to bring their bodies together and the only thing stopping him from digging his fingers into his hip was the fact that he was still clutching his phone. His mind turned itself off and all of his focus was poured into how good it felt to be kissing him again. Those were indeed the lips that he refused to forget even if he was attempting to move on. Tristan hummed in appreciation and buried his hand into the other boy's conditioned hair which he knew all too well to press him even closer to his quickly bruising lips. He felt Miles widen the kiss and he didn't hesitate to use his tongue to canvas the familiar territory of the interior of his mouth. He sighed when he felt him return the favour.

But the obnoxious sound of cheering that was at an uncomfortably close proximity brought him crashing back down to earth, and for the first time he registered the distinct smell of liquor invading his nostrils and the telltale taste of the bitter substance lingering on his tastebuds. Channeling the disgust from the time that Maya planted a wet one on him back in Paris combined with the bitterness of succumbing to a moment of weakness, he went through the motions of pushing Miles away and wiping his lips with a grunt. Needless to say, his reaction to the third hand that was limply attached to Miles' right wrist while he was peeling his ex off of him was genuine. That was when he noticed that he and Zig were linked together, and blushed when he recognized Miles' handcuffs.

"What the hell, Hollingsworth?"

"I n-need you, Tris! I made a mistake. Degrassi girls are such bitches," stuttered Miles, lips already pursed to go in for another kiss. Much to his disappointment, Tristan had a hand planted on his shoulder and kept him at arm's length to stop him from coming any closer.

"And why are they so awful?" Tristan asked Zig, simply choosing to ignore Miles for the time being.

"They're running around selling topless pics for cash an' making us guys look like losers for buying them."

"The two of you are doing a fine enough job on your own," Tristan muttered under his breath.

While he continued watching the drunken pair bad mouth the Power Cheer team, an evil smile widened across his face. Before he was interrupted by Dumb and Dumber, he was in the middle of texting an upset Zoë who was devastated with the way Zig blew her off. Now he had the perfect recipe for revenge and all he needed was to coax the trash talk into rhymes. Once his bestie uses her notorious skills of whipping up a dummy account in no time flat, MC Miles and DJ Z will have made their world debut.

People are gonna think it's hilarious.


	4. Chapter 4

"Man, Degrassi girls—"

"Suck!"

"Selling their boobs for a—"

"Buck!

"Treating guys like a—"

"Schmuck!"

"What-what-what-what the—"

"F—"

"Arf! Arf, arf, arf!"

Zig and Miles looked around to see what was rudely cutting into their current greatest hit while they were skipping down this road, fresh from having their masterpiece recorded by Tristan who promised that he'll take good care of the footage and make them big stars. Their eyes landed on a girl with a shock of pink and purple colouring her hair holding a dog whose fur was also dyed around the ears. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and one could practically scrape her jaw off the floor just by the way it was hanging open. Her dog resumed barking, thus breaking its owner out of her reverie.

"Shh, Fernando! Just because you're a boy that doesn't mean that you can't let me have my fun."

"You sayin' that your dog is a dude?" asked Miles, his attention immediately peaked. He raised an eyebrow at Zig who shot him a cocky smile in return.

Together they snatched the dog away, holding him together along with their almost empty bottle of Scotch and laughed as they ran off.

"We must liberate our fellow males from the chains of women!"

Lola couldn't make heads or tails of what just happened, but then again it wouldn't be the first time. Slowly she retrieved Julio from her pocket and sent out a text to her Power Cheer sisters asking them to keep their eyes pealed for a deranged duo who were holding her poor doggie hostage.

/-/-/-/-/

Maya couldn't stop pacing. She thought that sending Zig to look in on Miles was a smart move but somehow her worries had not subsided one bit. What was she thinking? It had only been a few months since their frightening showdown at the hoedown, regardless of the fact that the gun was fake. What if tonight their tempers decided to flair and she only made things worse? Maybe she should have gone to see Miles herself that night after all.

_I still love you, Maya. I never stopped._

Were those words still true? Did she still love Miles? She was ready to jump back into his arms when she saw how proactive he was when supporting Zoë during the trial. There was something very appealing about a guy who fought for the underdog even though it could have easily been a ploy win her back, not that she minded at the time.

Ever since the moment she saw Cam all dressed up for game day back in grade nine, Maya had never been able to shake off her attraction towards a boy wearing a tie. There was something so comforting of the maturity that the look exuded. She always had the urge to just fiddle with the knot and slide her fingers down the length of the silky material whenever she was in close proximity with one.

She still remembered being so close to Miles after he tugged her aside at school before leaving to give his testimony. Back when she fully believed that he was a good guy who changed his ways. When her fingers gravitated towards his tie, she was almost in a trance while she was pulling him closer and closer delighted in the way he was leaning in with every second. Maya was ready to feel his lips moving against hers and to latch on to his neck and pull him down. She craved for the feeling of his arms wrapped around her waist.

But of course that was when Winston unknowingly came in between them. Some wingman. Maya wryly wondered who else fell victim to his constant habit of barging in and ruining the mood. Now she couldn't have been more grateful for the interruption because it turned out that Miles lied to her. The details of their ugly fight at the courthouse swirled in her mind. Though he was begging her not to go, coming on to Zoë was the last straw.

_I can't wait around to pick up the pieces every time you freak out._

But then again... he was drunk at that party. And recently she discovered a side of him she never knew existed that made her feel more nurturing towards him than anything. Could it mean something more? Tonight's phone call did show that even after all this time he still needed her. And who didn't want to be wanted?

Lost in her thoughts, she glanced over at the clock, feeling rather startled when she saw that it was significantly past curfew and Zig wasn't home yet. This was definitely not like him because her mother was extremely strict when it came to house rules. It's a wonder that they actually managed to keep mum about going around the no hanky-panky clause.

Maya let her mind wander back to when she and Zig shared a heated moment in this very house. She was scared out of her mind with merely the thought of him doing God knows what with God knows who. She jumped on the first idea to pop in her head, which consisted of her jumping into Zig's arms and planting a firm kiss on his lips.

She begged him to stay and when he said okay, she rewarded him with another kiss. She was startled when she felt him whisk her up in his arms and wondered if this was the feeling that brides got when their grooms carried them under the threshold. Maya was taken back with Zig's tender ministrations once he set her down on the window seat and freed her from her glasses. She all but lost herself in his kisses and he moved lower to focus on her neck. When her eyes slipped opened, she let gasped after she thought she saw a brown head of hair in the bushes. Zig broke away thinking that he had done something wrong, but Maya fed him the excuse that her mother would be home soon and quickly left the room.

To this day Maya still didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her or if Miles was really at her window with the intentions of winning her back. They've shared kisses and had fights at that very same spot. But her vision was blurry at the time so it was impossible to tell for sure. It frustrated her that both Miles and Zig were ready to give her the world and she felt guilty that she could not reciprocate either of their feelings. She was making wonderful progress with her therapy. Would she now be able to see at least one of them as more than a friend?

Trying to get her mind off if the two boys that plagued her thoughts, she logged into Facerange to distract herself with what her fellow classmates were up to. There was one particular video with a surprisingly high amount of shares despite the fact that it was only posted a couple of hours ago. Maya clicked play and her eyes bugged out of their sockets when she saw an intense Miles and Zig reciting some kind of spoken word poem with the intent to destroy Degrassi girls. Why was Zig shirtless? Are were those... handcuffs?

Maya quickly shut her laptop closed and tried to forget the scene that was pretty much branded on the insides of her retinas. That was the moment she knew that she made the right decision by saying no to both of those doofuses. Zig seemed more than ready to move on with Zoë. And she had to make sure that Miles understood that she no longer had those feelings for him. It really was time to focus on music. Maybe she'll go to Prodigal Spoon's open auditions over at The Dot tomorrow with her cello after all.

/-/-/-/-/

Jack scratched her head over Lola's cryptic APB. The girl was a sweetheart but she could be a major space case and can get confused rather easily. Just as she was going to turn in for the night, she heard the sound of two boys trying to slur out some kind of tune and accompanied by the constant yapping of what seemed like a highly annoyed pup. That was when Zig and Miles stumbled from around the corner desperately trying to keep a dog from jumping out of their arms. While the text now made sense, the revelation actually opened the door to a lot more questions than answers. But judging by the inebriated state of her fellow Degrassians, she accepted the fact that this was probably a mystery that would never be solved.

It was much too late for Lola to retrieve her furry friend. And Jack wasn't going to let Beavis and Butthead get off without any consequences so she'll just be sure to come up with a way to see how much she could make them do before giving the mutt back tomorrow and send them off on their merry way. Whipping out a marker she figured that she wouldn't let the fact that she didn't have a piece of paper hinder her. She stopped the boys in their tracks and intercepted the dog. Using Zig's back as her canvas, she artistically scrawled "Jack has it" while he giggled the whole way through, and stepped back to admire her handy work before calling a cab to ship these two idiots back to Casa Hollingsworth.

/-/-/-/-/

Stumbling through the door, Miles crashed on the couch and Zig curled up on the floor. They fell in a dreamless sleep, blissfully unaware of the nightmare that would be waiting for them the next day.


End file.
